Sewing machine hinges with releasable latches



March 14, 1961 A. J. MATUZAS SEWING MACHINE HINGES WITH RELEASABLE LATCHES Filed Oqt. 2, 1958 INVENTOR. Anthon y J. Mafuzas United States Patent SEWING MACHINE HINGES WITH RELEASABLE LATCHES 6 Anthony J. Matuzas, Union, NJ., assignor to The Singer Manufacturing Company, Elizabeth, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey FiledOct. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 764,969

' 2 Claims. (Cl. 16-'-175) hook in the manner shown in United States Patent No..

2,477,433. In the first instance, it was usually necessary to remove or loosen a pin, a bolt or a screw every time the sewing machine was completely detached from its cabinet mounting. In the second instance, the open hooks were, at times, so insecure that the sewing machine would inadvertently become detached from the cabinet. Therefore, in order to alleviate the difficulties heretofore experienced, it was found desirable to provide a hinge having an improved latch incorporated therein whereby a sewing machine could be positively pivoted to a cabinet, but at the same time, to provide an easily operable means whereby the sewing machine could easily be detached from the cabinet. Therefore, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a hinge incorporating as a' part thereof an improved easily operable latch.

- Another object of the invention is to provide'an improved hinge and latch combination which is especially adapted for use when mounting a sewing machine in a table or cabinet.

With the above and other objects in view, as will hereinafter appear, the invention comprises the devices, combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter set forth and illustrated in the accompanying drawings of a preferred embodiment of the invention, from which the several features of the invention and the advantages attained thereby will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view taken through a portion of a sewing machine cabinet having a sewing machine supported by a hinge and latch device embodying the present invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the hinge and latch device shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken in the plane of the line 33,of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged elevational view showing one side of the hinge and latch device,

Fig. 5 is an enlarged elevational view showing the other side of the hinge and latch device, and

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a slider forming part of the hinge and latch device shown in Figs. 1 -5, inclusive.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, there is disclosed a cabinet 16, a portion of a sewing machine frame 17, and a hinge and latch device 18, the latter pivotally connecting the sewing machine frame 17 to the cabinet 16. The subject hinge and latch device 18 comprises a leaf 19 which is secured to the cabinet 16 by a wood screw 21. The leaf 19 is in the form of a substantially cylindrical disk having a peripheral groove 22 for accommodating a circular wire spring 23. One

end of the spring 23 has a hook 24 which is received in a notch 26 (Fig. 2) cut from'one side of the leaf 19. The other end of the spring 23 carries a plunger or detent 27 received in a hole 28 formed in the other side of the leaf 19. The leaf 19 also carries a pintle connecting means 29 located in a bore 32. The pintle .29 pivotally supports a second leaf 33 having a cylindrical end 34 entered into va cavity 36 formed in the sewing machine frame 17, the end 34 being held in the cavity 36 by a set screw 35. t

The leaf 33 carries a latch or aslider 37. which. is

biased in one direction by a helical compression spring- 38 one end of which engages the inside surface of a leg 39 formed on the slider 37. The other end of the spring 38 engages the end 41 of a depression 42 formed in the leaf 33. The depression 42 houses the spring 38 and receives the depending leg 39. The slider 37 by reason of having a top 43, a first side wall 44, a second side wall 46 and two bottom flanges 47 and 48, almost completely surrounds a squared portion 49 of the leaf 33. The upper surface of the top 43 has a serrated finger engageable surface 51, and the first side 44 of the slider 37 has a tongue 52 provided with an upper flat edge 53 and a lower curved edge 54. The flat edge 53, as best seen in Fig. 1, engages and thereby maintains the pintle 29 in the opening of a hook 56 formed on the end of the leaf 33 remote from cylindrical end 34. The curved edge 54, as best seen in Fig. 5, is engaged by the pintle 29 when the hook type connecting means 56 is placed on the pintle 29 and forced downwardly. When this occurs, the curved edge 54 acts as a cam and forces the slider or latch 37 away from the hook 56 against the force of the spring 38. When the slider37 is forced away from the hook 56 a suflicient distance, the pintle 29 enters the hook 56 and eventually the slider 37 is forced by the spring 38 toward the hook into the position shown in Fig. 1, wherein the fiat edge 53 underlies the pintle 29 and prevents the leaf 33 from becoming detached from the leaf 19.

Also while the hook 56 is being placed over and forced downwardly. on the pintle 29, a cam surface 57 formed on the second side wall 46 depresses the plunger 27 sufficiently to clear the outer surface of the wall 46. The depressed plunger 27 is clearly shown in Fig. 2.

When it becomes desirable to remove the sewing machine 17 from the cabinet 16, the serrated surface 51 is engaged by the operators finger 58 and the slider or latch 37 is moved to the position shown in Figs. 3 and 4, wherein the tongue 52 no longer holds the pintle 29 in the hook 56. When the slider or latch 37 is in this fully retracted position, the plunger 27 moves forward under pressure of the spring 23 and is engaged by an end 59 of the slider or latch 37 (Fig. 3). This holds the slider or latch 37 in the retracted position as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, and allows the hook 56 to be removed from the pintle 29. When the sewing machine 17 is lifted from the cabinet 16, the leaf 33 is of course removed from contact with the leaf 19 and the plunger 27 is disengaged from the end 59 of the slider 37, thereby allowing the spring 38 to return the slider 37 to the fully forward position in which the tongue 52 substantially closes the entrance to the hook 56.

Having thus described the nature of the invention, what I claim herein is:

1. A hinge device especially adapted for mounting a sewing machine in a sewing machine cabinet, said hinge 2,974,354 Patented Mar. 14, 19 61 device comprising a first leaf in the form of a cylindrical disc, a pintle on said first leaf, a second leaf in the form of an elongated member having a cylindrical end adapted to be secured to the sewing machine, and having a depression, a hook on said second leaf, a'latch slidably mounted on the end of said second leaf remote from said cylindrical end, a helical springpositioned in the depression in said second leaf and said helical spring biasing said latch toward said hook, a tongue formed on said latch, said tongue having a fiat edge for holding said hook to said pintle, and said tongue having a curved edge for moving said latch against the bias of said spring when said hook is pressed toward said pintle.

2. A hinge device especially adapted for mounting a sewing machine in a sewing machine cabinet, said hinge device comprising a first leaf in the form of a cylindrical disc having a peripheral groove, a circular wire spring positioned in said groove, a detent carried by one end of said wire spring, a pintle on said first leaf, a second leaf in the form of an elongated member having a cylindrical end adapted to be secured to the sewing machine and having a depression, a hook on said second leaf, a latch slidably mounted on the end of said second leaf remote from said cylindrical end, a cam surface formed on said latch and said cam surface being adapted to depress said detent, a helical spring positioned in the depression in said second leaf and said helical spring biasing said latch toward said hook, a tongue formed on said latch, said tongue having a flat edge for holding said hook to said pintle, and said tongue having a curved edge for moving said latch against the bias of said helical spring when said hook is pressed towards said pintle, and an end formed on said latch, said end engaging said detent and thereby holding said latch against the bias of said helical spring.

References Cited in the file of-this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 413,298 De Kalb Oct. 22, 1889 784,574 Langdon et a1 Mar. 14, 1905 20 2,673,776 Barnhart Mar. 30, 1954 2,835,545 Peterson May 20, 1958 

